JP2009060471A - Imaging apparatus, imaging method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To photograph a subject with suitable exposure by means of an imaging apparatus which emits strobe light. <P>SOLUTION: A main control unit 10 comprises: a scene judging section 41 for judging a scene around a subject; a face detecting section 42 for detecting a face of the subject; a stop judging section 43 for judging a standstill state of a case on the basis of blur information received from a blur detecting section; an LV value detecting section 46 for detecting an LV value indicating lightness of the subject; an exposure condition assuming section 45 for assuming exposure conditions by comparing the LV value detected by the LV value detecting section 46 with a predetermined threshold; an exposure deciding section 44 for determining whether the assumed exposure conditions are proper or not based on the scene judged by the scene judging section 41, the face of the subject detected by the face detecting section 42 and the standstill state judged by the stop judging section 43; and an exposure condition determining section 48 for determining the exposure conditions by changing to a program diagram 47 corresponding to the decided exposure conditions on the basis of the detected LV value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, and a program suitable for application to, for example, a digital still camera that records an image file generated by imaging a subject on a recording medium.

Conventionally, when a subject is imaged with a digital still camera in a low illuminance or backlight environment, a strobe is emitted, and the subject is illuminated with the light, whereby a darkly sinking subject can be imaged brightly. Appropriate exposure during strobe emission is defined by the strobe guide number (GNo), aperture (FNo), and distance (m) to the subject. When a digital still camera capable of obtaining a sensitivity equivalent to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 100 is used, proper exposure is defined by the following equation.
GNo = FNo × (distance to subject)

  For example, when shooting an object 2 m away using a GNo. 5 strobe, if the aperture is set to F2.5, proper exposure can be obtained.

  In general, when shooting a dark scene such as a night view or indoors, the shutter speed is slow, so that camera shake is likely to occur and the probability of mistakes in shooting increases. In general, it is said that, as a measure for preventing camera shake, a shooting error caused by camera shake is less likely to occur when the shutter speed is faster than 1 second corresponding to the focal length of the taking lens. For this reason, a technique is known in which the rising shutter speed in the program diagram of the exposure mode is set to one second of the focal length of the photographing lens.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 describes a technique for approximating with a bit operation when calculating with respect to the focal length f at the rising shutter speed Tv = log2f.
JP-A-1-271732

  By the way, there were the following problems during flash photography. For example, when shooting in a dark background such as a night view, if you take a strobe shot at a relatively high shutter speed that can prevent camera shake, the main subject will be kept at a proper exposure with strobe light, but the background will be It becomes dark due to underexposure, resulting in a photograph that is different from the photographer's appearance. In order to solve this problem, a technique called slow sync, which makes the background exposure appropriate by reducing the shutter speed, is used.

  However, when performing strobe shooting in an environment where the background such as a night view is dark, the shutter speed becomes low, so it is necessary to prevent camera shake using a tripod or the like. However, carrying a tripod is cumbersome for a user who uses a camera with a compact and excellent portability.

  Further, when a night scene and a person image are simultaneously photographed, the photographed image is too bright or too dark unless the person image as the main subject is located at an appropriate distance of the strobe light. Also, the night view as the background also becomes a dark image because an appropriate exposure amount cannot be obtained. Even if the photographer sets strobe light emission, unnecessary power is consumed due to wasteful strobe light emission when shooting a night scene or the like where strobe illumination does not make sense.

  Also, if you just increase the shutter speed, camera shake is unlikely to occur, but the background cannot be captured beautifully in dark scenes such as night views. Recently, a technique that can shoot the background by increasing the amplification gain (hereinafter referred to as gain) of AGC (Automatic Gain Control) processing and performing high-sensitivity imaging has become mainstream. However, when the gain is increased, noise increases, so that there is a problem that it cannot cope with all dark scenes such as night scenes.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to photograph a subject with an appropriate exposure amount.

  The present invention picks up image light imaged through an optical system and outputs it as an image pickup signal, illuminates the subject side obtained as image light with a light emitting unit, and outputs image light based on the capture timing of the image pickup signal. The amount of exposure light is controlled, the amount of received light from the direction of the subject is detected, blur information is detected to detect blurring occurring in the housing of the apparatus, and the amount of light in the non-light emitting state of the light emitting unit is used as the first luminance evaluation value If the first and second luminance evaluation values are substantially equal when the first and second luminance evaluation values are substantially equal to each other, the pre-emission of the first light amount is performed from the light emitting unit and the reflected light amount reflected from the subject is detected as the second luminance evaluation value. When the light emission is prohibited, the first and second luminance evaluation values are different, and the subject is at a distance where the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the main light emission amount is the second light amount at which the subject is properly exposed, The first and second luminance evaluation values are different and If the first quantity of not the subject to the distance to reach performs object determination by the pre dimming to the light emission amount of the third light amount adjusting the amount to maximum, perform imaging for each light emission amount. In this case, when the amount of light around the subject is insufficient, the surroundings of the subject are determined as dark scenes, the face of the subject is detected, and the shake information generated in the case of the device is detected. Is determined as a still state, a value indicating the brightness of the subject is detected, a value indicating the brightness of the subject is compared with a predetermined threshold value, and the exposure condition is assumed, and the determined dark scene And whether or not the assumed exposure condition is appropriate based on the detected face of the subject and the determined stationary state, and the determined exposure condition is determined based on the value indicating the brightness of the subject. The exposure condition is determined by changing to the corresponding program diagram.

  This makes it possible to determine the presence / absence of a subject based on the amount of light received when no light is emitted and the amount of light received with pre-light emission, and when shooting with an appropriate exposure amount based on that determination. The exposure condition can be determined based on the scene around the subject, the face, and the stationary state of the housing of the apparatus.

  According to the present invention, when the presence / absence of a subject is determined based on the received light amount in a state in which no light is emitted and the received light amount in the pre-emission, and shooting is performed with an appropriate exposure amount based on the determination, The exposure condition can be determined based on the scene around the subject, the face of the subject, and the stationary state of the housing of the apparatus. For this reason, when a user performs imaging, exposure is performed under appropriate exposure conditions even in a dark scene where the light quantity is insufficient such as a night view or a room by making a still determination of the imaging device without performing complicated settings. There is an effect that it is possible to perform photographing by controlling the amount of light.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present embodiment is an example applied to a digital still camera that records (stores) photographed image data in a built-in recording medium or a removable external recording medium.

  First, an internal configuration example of the digital still camera of this example will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the digital still camera 100 of this example. The digital still camera 100 includes a lens unit 1 including optical system parts such as a plurality of lenses, and forms image light incident through the lens unit 1 on an imaging surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) imaging device 4. This is a configuration to be made. The CCD image pickup device 4 also has a function as a light amount detection unit that measures external light such as pre-light emission described later. The capture timing of the imaging signal output from the CCD imaging device 4 is instructed by a shutter operation unit 20 as an imaging instruction unit.

  The lens unit 1 includes an iris mechanism 2 that controls the aperture amount and a shutter mechanism 3 that performs shutter control. The iris mechanism 2 controls the size of an aperture through which light incident through the lens unit 1 is transmitted by a control signal supplied from a main control unit 10 that controls each unit. The shutter mechanism 3 is driven by a control signal supplied from the main control unit 10 in response to a pressing operation of the shutter operation unit 20, thereby allowing light incident through the lens unit 1 to pass through (exposure time). It has a function as an exposure light quantity control unit for controlling the above. Thus, the iris mechanism 2 and the shutter mechanism 3 control the amount of exposure light. The CCD image sensor 4 can obtain an imaging output signal corresponding to the subject image formed on the imaging surface.

  The lens unit 1 includes a zoom control mechanism unit (not shown), a focus control mechanism unit, and a camera shake control mechanism unit. A control signal from the main control unit 10 is supplied to the zoom control mechanism unit and the focus control mechanism unit of the lens unit 1 via the lens control unit 8 to drive and control zoom and focus. The digital still camera 100 of this example receives a supply from a power supply unit (not shown) and always performs loop control while the power is on. When the brightness changes, the iris mechanism 2 and the shutter mechanism 3 are changed to achieve proper exposure.

  In addition, a shake detection unit 13 that detects camera shake that occurs when the photographer holds the digital still camera 100, supplies the main control unit 10 with shake information related to camera shake. The blur information includes a voltage value representing an angular velocity generated in the pitch (pitch) and yaw (yaw) directions with respect to the casing of the digital still camera 100. A voltage value included in the shake information is converted into a corresponding numerical value by a camera shake correction calculation unit (not shown) included in the main control unit 10. Then, the main control unit 10 determines the position where the correction optical system should move based on the blur amount of the digital still camera 100 converted from the blur information and the current position information of the correction optical system. The correction optical system is a system including a camera shake correction mechanism that corrects camera shake of the lens unit 1 so as to cancel camera shake. The lens control unit 8 can correct and control camera shake occurring in the digital still camera 100 by driving and controlling the camera shake correction mechanism.

  The analog signal processing circuit 5 that performs analog processing performs processing such as sampling processing (S / H) and amplification processing (AGC), and performs predetermined analog processing on the imaging output signal supplied from the CCD imaging device 4 to generate an image. Output a signal. The image signal output from the analog signal processing circuit 5 is supplied to the analog / digital conversion circuit 6. The analog / digital conversion circuit 6 samples the analog image signal supplied from the analog signal processing circuit 5 at a predetermined sampling rate and converts it into a digital image signal. The digital image signal output from the analog / digital conversion circuit 6 is supplied to a digital signal processing circuit 7 that performs digital processing.

  The digital signal processing circuit 7 generates various signals necessary for framing, still image capturing, autofocus, photometry, and the like from the digital image signal supplied from the analog / digital conversion circuit 6. For example, at the time of framing, a display image signal is generated from the input image signal and supplied to the display unit 15 that displays an image. The display unit 15 displays predetermined guidance messages and icons in addition to images.

  At the time of capturing a still image, the digital signal processing circuit 7 generates one still image signal from the input image signal, performs a process such as compression on the still image, and stores it in the removable recording medium 16. The recording medium 16 may be a memory card, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) built in the digital still camera 100, a flash memory, or the like.

  At the time of autofocus, the digital signal processing circuit 7 detects a high frequency component in a predetermined area in the screen from the input image signal, generates a parameter indicating the level of the high frequency component, and supplies the parameter to the main control unit 10. Further, at the time of photometry, a light amount component (referred to as an AE (Auto Exposure) signal) in a predetermined area in the screen is detected from the input image signal, a parameter indicating the light amount level is generated, and supplied to the main control unit 10.

  The shutter operation unit 20, which is a momentary type push switch operated by the photographer, has a function of switching by distinguishing a plurality of pressed states. For example, the shutter operation unit 20 switches between three states: a state where the switch is not pressed at all (off), a state where the switch is fully pressed (deep press), and a state where the switch is pressed halfway (half press). To do. The deeply pressed state is a state for instructing shutter timing (imaging timing) for capturing an image, and the half-pressed state is a state for instructing preparation for capturing an image. The main control unit 10 determines the three pressed states (off, half-pressed, and deep-pressed) of the shutter operation unit 20.

  A timing signal generation circuit 9 that generates a predetermined timing signal generates various drive pulses that the CCD image sensor 4 needs to store and read image signals for each screen. Various pulses generated from the timing signal generation circuit 9 are supplied to the CCD image sensor 4 and used as timing signals for image signal imaging processing and output processing.

  A main control unit 10 that controls each unit in the digital still camera 100 includes a microcomputer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a program ROM (Read Only Memory), a work area RAM (Random Access Memory), and various I's (not shown). / O port and interface. The main control unit 10 performs various processes such as exposure amount calculation, lens zoom control, strobe light emission control, capture image storage, and image processing such as resizing. The main control unit 10 is connected to a lens control unit 8 that drives and controls the zoom mechanism and the focus mechanism of the lens unit 1.

  Further, the main control unit 10 is charged until a necessary strobe light amount is obtained, and a light emitting unit that illuminates strobe light on a subject side obtained as image light through a charging / light emission circuit control unit 11 that performs light emission control. 12 is connected. In addition, the main control unit 10 includes an operation input unit 14 including menu keys and operation cursors for a user to perform various operation inputs, a display unit 15 including, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel, and a recording. An external interface 17 having an input / output terminal compliant with, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, an electrically rewritable EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) 18, generated data, etc. Is connected to a RAM (Random Access Memory) 19.

  The light emitting unit 12 is attached to, for example, the front surface or upper part of the housing, and is provided so as to irradiate a subject to be imaged with strobe light. That is, the light emitting unit 12 is provided so as to irradiate light in the direction of the optical axis of the lens and in the direction from the lens toward the front. The light emitting unit 12 is a discharge device such as a xenon lamp, and can emit strong light for a moment and irradiate the subject with strong flash light. The light emitting unit 12 is driven by the charge / light emission control unit 11 that controls charging and light emission of the light emitting unit 12, and the light emission timing is controlled by the main control unit 10. In addition, before the main light emission for imaging the subject, the light emitting unit 12 can be pre-lighted with a predetermined light emission amount. The main control unit 10 detects the luminance level of the entire imaging screen from the CCD imaging device 4 from the photometric data in the pre-emission. Then, the main control unit 10 determines the light emission amount as the main light emission of the light emitting unit 12 in comparison with the target luminance level at which proper exposure is obtained.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of functional blocks related to the determination of exposure conditions, among the functional blocks realized by the main control unit 10 executing the program recorded in the EEPROM 18. However, the functional blocks shown in FIG. 2 may be configured by hardware.

  The main control unit 10 determines a scene determination unit 41 that determines a scene such as a night view or the outdoors, a face detection unit 42 that detects the face of the subject, and a still state in which the digital still camera 100 is determined to be stationary. A determination unit 43, and each unit is independently controlled. Further, the main control unit 10 detects an LV value as a value indicating the brightness of the subject and the surroundings of the subject, and an exposure assuming an exposure condition based on the LV value detected by the LV value detection unit 46. A condition assumption unit 45; an exposure determination unit 44 that determines whether or not the assumed exposure condition is appropriate; a program diagram 47 that includes a plurality of types of program diagrams; and an appropriate program diagram. And an exposure condition determining unit 48 for determining.

The scene determination unit 41 is a control unit that determines a scene such as a night view or outdoors based on, for example, EV (Exposure Value) information, luminance information, color information, a histogram, distance information, and the like. The scene determination unit 41 determines the subject periphery as a dark scene when the amount of light around the subject is insufficient (for example, when the EV information is 6 EV or less).
The face detection unit 42 detects the face of the subject, for example, by performing matching processing using a face matching pattern within the angle of view.

The stillness determination unit 43 compares the output from the shake detection unit 13 included in the shake information with the output at the time of stillness, and determines the still state of the digital still camera 100 based on the deviation amount and time.
The LV value detection unit 46 detects an LV value indicating the brightness of the subject based on the AE signal received from the digital signal processing circuit 7.

  The exposure condition assumption unit 45 compares the LV value received from the LV value detection with a predetermined threshold, and assumes an exposure condition according to the difference. For example, when the detected LV value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the exposure is insufficient, so the exposure is performed so as to slow down the shutter speed, reduce the aperture amount, or increase the gain of AGC processing. Assume the conditions. On the other hand, when the detected LV value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the exposure is excessive, so that the exposure is performed so as to increase the shutter speed, increase the aperture amount, or decrease the gain of AGC processing. Assume the conditions. Of the assumed exposure conditions, let the aperture amount be the reference aperture amount Ie, the shutter speed be the reference shutter speed Te, and the gain be the reference gain Ge.

  Based on the dark part scene determined by the scene determination unit 41, the face of the subject detected by the face detection unit 42, and the still state determined by the still determination unit 43, the exposure determination unit 44 It is determined whether the reference aperture amount Ie, the reference shutter speed Te, and the reference gain Ge, which are assumed as exposure conditions, are appropriate.

  The exposure condition determination unit 48 changes the program diagram 47 corresponding to the shooting mode specified by the user to a program diagram corresponding to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determination unit 44, and performs exposure based on the detected LV value. Determine the conditions. A program diagram 47 corresponding to each settable photographing mode is held in, for example, the EEPROM 18.

  Next, in still image shooting in a scene such as a night scene where the background is dark, the main control unit 10 performs automatic exposure to appropriate exposure when using the pre-flash and main flash light emission modes. The exposure control process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing for performing exposure correction in a mode in which, for example, a night scene and a person are simultaneously photographed. In this example, you can switch between the flash mode that allows the flash to fire according to the shooting conditions, the flash mode that prohibits the flash, and the mode that automatically enables and disables the flash depending on the presence of the subject. It can be set.

  First, when the strobe emission mode is selected at the time of shooting, the shutter speed is set to T1 seconds (1 / focal length) that is a shutter speed capable of preventing camera shake (step S1).

The main control unit 10 detects the luminance evaluation value YS obtained in the pre-emission state with the pre-emission amount P having a fixed emission amount, and compares it with the target luminance level YT at which proper exposure is obtained. In other words, a pre-emission dimming method is used, in which the emission amount Q during main emission is determined from the luminance evaluation value YS, the target luminance level YT, and the pre-emission amount P. The light emission amount Q at the time of the main light emission can be obtained by the following equation.
Q = P × √ (YT / YS)
Q: Light emission amount during main light emission P: Fixed pre-light emission amount YS: Luminance evaluation value obtained in the pre-light emission state YT: Target luminance level at which proper exposure is obtained

  In photometry, it is necessary to determine the exposure with respect to the reference brightness. Therefore, an LV value indicating brightness is calculated based on the AE signal (step S2). Then, the LV value is compared with a reference threshold value (step S3), and when the LV value is equal to or larger than the reference threshold value, the exposure correction amount 1 processing is selected (step S4). This is AGC processing in which when the amount of light is too large, the aperture amount is increased, the shutter speed amount is increased, or the image signal is lowered.

  If the LV value is smaller than the reference threshold value, the exposure correction amount 2 process is selected (step S5). This is an AGC process in which, when the amount of light is too small, the aperture amount is decreased, the shutter speed amount is decreased, or the image signal is increased. These exposure correction amounts may be provided in three or more types, or may be configured to perform correction calculation according to individual LV values without providing the exposure correction amount.

  Next, when the exposure amount in the background such as a night view is properly maintained and the shutter button 20 is half-pressed by the user (step S6), the appropriate exposure amount is determined and the gain amount G1 is calculated (step S7). The shutter button 20 in this example has two pressed states, half pressed and deep pressed. Further, the appropriate exposure amount determined by the main control unit 10 includes values such as an aperture amount F1, a shutter speed T1, a gain amount G1, and the like. If the shutter button 20 is not half-pressed, the process returns to step S2 again to calculate the LV value.

  Next, when the shutter button 20 is “deep pressed” by the user, the photographing sequence is started (step S8). If the shutter button 20 is not “deep pressed”, the process returns to step S7 again to determine the appropriate exposure amount.

  When the shutter button 20 is “deep pressed” in step S8, pre-emission with a fixed emission amount is performed (step S9). Then, the main control unit 10 determines whether or not the main subject exists within the angle of view by pre-emission (step S10). Here, the main subject refers to a person image in, for example, “night view + person mode”. In step S10, whether or not the main subject is present is determined by comparing the luminance evaluation value Y0 obtained in the non-light emission state with the luminance evaluation value YS obtained in the pre-light emission state. If Y0 = YS, it can be determined that there is no main subject. This result indicates that the reflected light from the person cannot be obtained even if pre-emission is performed, which means that there is no main subject within the angle of view.

  Normally, it is assumed that there is a main subject when the user selects the strobe emission mode, but the main subject is not necessarily present. For example, if the flash emission mode is selected by mistake, the user wants to capture only the background of the night scene, but the flash is emitted, so that an image different from the image expected by the user is captured. In order to prevent such an erroneous operation, the main control unit 10 compares the luminance evaluation value Y0 with the luminance evaluation value YS. For this reason, the CCD image sensor 4 detects the amount of reflected light obtained from the main subject by pre-emission, and detects the presence or absence of the main subject, for the strobe emission mode in which pre-emission and main emission are performed forcibly. If it is detected and it is determined that there is no main subject, a mode for prohibiting the main flash is set.

  If it is determined in step S10 that there is no main subject, main light emission is stopped and exposure is started, and a main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 1 is set (step S17). The main light emission prohibition flag F1 is a binary flag that controls the main light emission of the strobe light. If the main light emission inhibition flag F1 = 0, the main light emission is performed. On the other hand, if the main light emission inhibition flag F1 = 1, the main light emission is not performed. The main light emission prohibition flag F1 is stored in the work area of the main control unit 10 and is rewritten as needed.

  Thus, an image shot in a scene without the main subject can be obtained as an image that is appropriately exposed only in the background. Further, by preventing such erroneous light emission, the light emitting unit 12 does not emit light unnecessarily, and power consumption can be suppressed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that the main subject is present, it is determined from the luminance level whether or not the strobe light reaches the position where the main subject is present (step S11). When it is determined that the strobe light reaches the position where the main subject is present, the main control unit 10 adjusts the light emission amount Q of the strobe light (step S12), thereby obtaining an image with proper exposure. The final exposure amount in this case is determined with the aperture amount F1, the shutter speed T1, and the gain amount G1 remaining unchanged (step S13).

  If it is determined in step S11 that the strobe light does not reach the position where the main subject is present, the amount of light is insufficient, and if the image is taken as it is, the main subject becomes dark. Therefore, the main control unit 10 calculates the gain amount G2 up to the position where the strobe light reaches so that the main subject is properly exposed with the strobe light emission amount Q set to the maximum (step S18). In this way, the problem that the captured image of the main subject becomes dark is prevented.

  Then, based on the calculated gain amount G2 and the difference gain amount G2-G1 between the gain amount G1 in the background, a shutter speed T2 that further increases the shutter speed amount is determined (step S19). In this case, the final exposure amount is determined by the aperture amount F1, the shutter speed T2, and the gain amount G2 (step S13).

  When the final exposure amount is determined in step S13, the exposure is started, the main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 0 is set (step S14), the strobe light is actually emitted (step S15), and the exposure is ended (step S16).

  The digital still camera 100 of this example has a guidance function for presenting appropriate shooting to the user in addition to the process of controlling exposure. For automatic determination of the guidance function, the main light emission is performed in the exposure in step S14, so the main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 0 is set. On the other hand, since the main light emission is prohibited in the exposure in step S17, the main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 1 is set.

  If the main light emission is stopped and exposure is started in step S17, the exposure is terminated after a predetermined time (step S16). In this way, a properly exposed image can be obtained by balancing the subject and the background.

  Here, for example, when the strobe light of the guide number 10 is used, if the distance of 3 m to the subject is the recommended distance, the background and the subject are dimmed by hardware if the subject is located within the distance of 3 m. Is possible. On the other hand, when the subject is located farther than 3 m, the digital still camera 100 extends the recommended distance by improving the gain amount using software such as a light control program. By the way, if the gain amount increases, the background noise also increases. Therefore, the noise is suppressed by increasing the shutter speed. In this way, both the subject and the background can be photographed with good balance.

  Explaining using specific numerical values, as the shutter speed T1 capable of preventing camera shake, for example, if the focal length of the lens is 38 mm, the shutter speed T1 is set to 1/40 seconds. At this time, the gain amount G1 is assumed to be ISO = 100. If the gain amount G2 at which the subject is properly exposed is set to ISO = 200, the gain difference amount G2-G1 = 200-100 = 100. Therefore, it can be seen that the gain amount G2 is twice the gain amount G1. As a result, the final exposure amount can be determined by setting the shutter speed T2 to T2 = T1 × (1/2) = 1/80 seconds.

  Next, an example of strobe shooting processing that prompts the user to use or not use strobe light emission by using the guidance function during strobe shooting will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8 to 11. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control display process for flash photography performed after the first picture. 8 to 11 show display examples of guidance messages to be displayed on the display unit 15.

  Even when the digital still camera 100 determines that there is no main subject, the flash light emission mode may be selected and shooting may be continued without the user's knowledge. In such a case, the main control unit 10 performs the control in the guidance mode for displaying the guidance for alerting the user on the display unit 15 so as not to continuously capture the scene without the main subject in the flash emission mode. Do. The guidance function that is automatically determined depending on the scene includes, for example, messages and icons such as “Please cancel the flash mode” and “Please switch to the night scene shooting mode”.

  First, it is determined whether or not the mode setting of the digital still camera 100 is the flash emission mode (step S21). If not in the flash mode, the process is terminated. If it is the flash emission mode, it is determined whether or not the guidance mode is for displaying a guidance message on the display unit 15 (step S22). If not in the guidance mode, the process ends.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 1 (step S23). When the main light emission prohibition flag F1 = 0, strobe light emission is performed, and the process ends. When the main flash prohibition flag F1 = 1, the digital still camera 100 determines that there is no main subject and prohibits the main flash. In this case, since there is a very high possibility that the user selects the flash emission mode without noticing and continues shooting, the guidance display process is started. First, it is determined whether or not the auto mode is set (step S24). Here, exposure is controlled using an auto mode (auto strobe mode) that automatically determines whether or not to emit a strobe light. The auto mode is a mode in which pre-emission is performed, exposure is corrected based on the amount of light detected by the CCD image sensor 4, and a decision to permit or prohibit the main emission of the light emitting unit 12 is automatically performed.

  In the auto mode, there is a very high possibility that the main subject will not be taken in the next and subsequent shootings. For this reason, the setting is switched to another mode in which the digital still camera 100 automatically prohibits strobe light emission (step S25). Here, a guidance message 15c shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display unit 15 in order to notify the user that the shooting mode has been automatically changed. At the same time, the display unit 15 has an icon 15a indicating a switched shooting mode (in this case, a night scene mode in which strobe light emission is prohibited and pre-flash and main flash are not performed), and an icon indicating strobe light emission prohibition mode. 15b is displayed (step S26).

  If it is determined in step S24 that the mode is not the auto mode, the guidance mode is selected in which the user manually selects the operation / prohibition of the strobe light emission. Here, a guidance message recommending prohibition of strobe light emission is displayed on the display unit 15 according to a command from the main control unit 10, the current state is appropriately displayed to the user, and the user selects whether or not to actually prohibit light emission. This is possible (step S27). Since the digital still camera 100 determines that there is no main subject, the guidance message 15e shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. At the same time, the display unit 15 displays an option 15f for selecting “Yes” or “No” with the operation input unit 14 and an icon 15d indicating the flash emission state. In this case, for example, a slow sync mode in which the shutter speed is slowed in a state in which the emission of strobe light is permitted.

  Then, the user selects and selects “Yes” or “No” in the option 15f as to whether or not to prohibit the light emission (step S28). When “Yes” is selected as the option 15f, the mode is switched to the strobe light emission prohibition mode, and the guidance message 15g shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. At the same time, the display unit 15 displays an icon 15b indicating a strobe emission prohibition state (step S29), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when “No” in the option 15f is selected, since the light emission is not prohibited, the guidance message 15h is displayed as shown in FIG. At the same time, the display unit 15 displays an icon 15d indicating the flash emission state and a person frame 15i serving as a photographing guide for the subject (step S30), and the process is terminated.

  Thus, the digital still camera 100 can perform appropriate exposure control on the subject. In addition, the digital still camera 100 has a guidance function that automatically determines and switches to the strobe light emission prohibition mode, and a guidance function that supports each of the strobe light emission prohibition mode and the strobe light emission mode when the user switches to manual. For this reason, it is possible to support photographing appropriate for the user.

Next, an example of the shooting mode changing process performed by the main control unit 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the scene determination unit 41 determines whether it is a dark part scene (step S31). If it is determined that the scene is not a dark part scene, the process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the scene is a dark part scene, the following control is performed.

  Next, the face detection unit 42 performs a process of detecting the face of the subject in the dark part scene (step S32). If the face detection unit 42 determines that “there is a face” within the angle of view, the face detection unit 42 changes to the flash emission mode (step S33). On the other hand, when it is determined that “there is no face” within the angle of view, the face detection unit 42 determines whether or not the main subject is within the angle of view by pre-dimming (step S37). If it is determined that the main subject is within the angle of view, the process proceeds to step S33. In the case of a dark scene, it may be difficult to detect the face of the main subject despite the presence of the main subject. In order to cope with such a case, in the process of step S32, it is possible to detect the reflected light from the main subject and reliably detect the face of the main subject by performing pre-dimming.

  When the scene determination unit 41 determines that the scene is a dark part scene, and when the face detection unit 42 determines that “there is a face” within the angle of view, the stillness determination unit 43 determines whether the digital still camera 100 is stationary. It is determined whether or not (step S34). At this time, the stationary determination unit 43 determines the stationary state based on information from a camera shake correction mechanism that performs camera shake correction based on the camera shake information obtained from the camera shake detection unit 13. Normally, when the digital still camera 100 is placed in a stable place and is stationary, the camera shake correction mechanism is turned off. Then, the stillness determination is performed based on the information that the camera shake correction mechanism is turned off and the shake information.

  Next, when it is determined that the digital still camera 100 is stationary, the stillness determination unit 43 shifts to the slow sync mode (step S35) and ends the process. At this time, the digital still camera 100 is fixed to a tripod or placed in a stable place.

  In the slow sync mode, in a dark scene, the subject (person) is clearly photographed by flashing light, and the shutter speed is slowed down to increase the amount of exposure of image light on the CCD image pickup device 4. It is a mode that can shoot dark scenes in the clear. Since the stillness determination unit 43 determines the still state of the digital still camera 100, the shutter speed can be reduced without performing the AGC process for raising the image signal. For this reason, the user can obtain a beautiful image without noise.

  On the other hand, when the face detection unit 42 determines that “there is a face” within the angle of view and the stillness determination unit 43 determines that the digital still camera 100 is not stationary, the AGC processing is performed. And an exposure mode (hereinafter referred to as a program diagram) in which camera shake can be prevented by increasing the shutter speed (step S36). At this time, the digital still camera 100 is in a state where the user is hand-held or placed in an unstable place. When the shutter speed is increased, the amount of exposure light of the image light at the CCD image sensor 4 is reduced.

  The high-sensitivity mode is a shooting mode in which a subject can be clearly photographed even at a normal shutter speed as well as strobe light emission by setting a state in which sensitivity is increased. In the high sensitivity mode, the camera shake correction mechanism is on and the camera shake correction is always performed. For example, when the standard setting is ISO 200 and the shutter speed is 1/10 second, the sensitivity can be increased in the order of ISO 800 and ISO 1600 by changing to the high sensitivity mode. Furthermore, the subject (person) can be clearly photographed by strobe light emission, and a dark scene in the background can be photographed by performing AGC processing. Therefore, by increasing the shutter speed to prevent camera shake, the user can obtain an image that does not fail even if it is held by hand.

  In step S32, the face detection unit 42 determines that there is no face within the angle of view. In step S37, it is determined that there is no main subject within the angle of view by pre-dimming, and then the stillness determination is performed. The unit 43 determines whether or not the digital still camera 100 is stationary (step S38). If it is determined that the digital still camera 100 is stationary, the stillness determination unit 43 shifts to a program diagram specialized for night view shooting, changes to the night view mode (step S39), and ends the process.

  The night view mode is a mode suitable for shooting a night view in the absence of a person. In this case, since there is no person within the angle of view, the flash is prohibited from emitting light and slow shutter photography is performed. For this reason, the user can obtain a beautiful image without noise.

  On the other hand, when the face detection unit 42 determines that there is no face within the angle of view, and when it is determined by pre-dimming that there is no main subject within the angle of view, the stillness determination unit 43 determines that the digital still camera 100 If it is determined that the camera is not stationary, the mode is switched to the high sensitivity mode described above (step S40), and the process is terminated. In this case, since there is no person, the AGC process is performed with the strobe disabled. In this way, since a dark scene in the background can also be photographed, the shutter speed that can prevent camera shake is increased. For this reason, the user can obtain a clear image without hand failure.

  Incidentally, the digital still camera 100 has various scene modes, but the program diagram may differ depending on each scene mode. Each scene mode includes, for example, an auto mode, a high sensitivity mode, a landscape mode, a night view mode, and a portrait mode. Setting to the program diagram of the scene mode to be set is referred to as “transition to program diagram”.

  Next, an example of stillness determination processing performed by the stillness determination unit 43 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This stillness determination process is performed in common in both directions of pitch (Pitch: vertical fluctuation) and yaw (Yaw: horizontal fluctuation) based on the shake information output by the shake detection unit 13.

  First, the stillness determination unit 43 compares the output signal from the shake detection unit 13 with the output signal at the time of stationary, obtains a deviation, and determines whether or not it is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S41). If this deviation is less than or equal to the threshold value, it is assumed that the digital still camera 100 is stationary, and a stillness determination counter that counts a stationary period is incremented (step S42). The deviation from the stationary output signal may be obtained by applying a high-pass filter (HPF) to the output from the shake detector 13.

  Then, when a certain time or more has elapsed, the stillness determination unit 43 determines whether or not the stillness determination counter is greater than a predetermined time threshold value (step S43). When it is determined that the stillness determination counter is greater than the predetermined time threshold, the stillness determination unit 43 determines that the digital still camera 100 is still. Then, the stationary determination flag indicating the stationary state in the pitch or yaw direction is set to “TRUE” (step S44), and the process ends. The stationary determination flag is read as “TRUE” when “1” is stationary, “0” is replaced with “FALSE” when not stationary, and in a final stationary determination process (see FIG. 7) described later. Used.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S41 is that the deviation is greater than the threshold value, the digital still camera 100 is regarded as not stationary, and the stationary determination counter is reset to zero (step S45).
If the deviation is larger than the threshold value as a result of the determination in step S41, or if it is determined in step 13 that the stillness determination counter is equal to or smaller than the predetermined time threshold value, the stillness determination flag is set to “FALSE” ( Step S46), the process is terminated.

  In this manner, it is possible to detect a stationary state in at least one of the pitch direction and the yaw direction regardless of whether the camera shake correction function is on or off.

  Next, an example of the final stillness determination process performed by the stillness determination unit 43 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The final stillness determination process is a process in which the stillness determination unit 43 finally determines whether or not the digital still camera 100 is still. Basically, when both the pitch direction and yaw direction stationary determination flags are “TRUE”, the final stationary determination is “TRUE”.

First, the stillness determination unit 43 determines whether or not the stillness determination flag in the pitch direction is “TRUE” (step S51). If it is determined that the stillness determination flag in the pitch direction is “TRUE”, it is determined whether the stillness determination flag in the yaw direction is “TRUE” (step S52).
If it is determined that both the pitch direction and yaw direction stationary determination flags are “TRUE”, the final stationary determination flag is set to “TRUE” (step S53), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the stillness determination flag in any one of the pitch direction and the yaw direction is not “TRUE”, the final stillness determination flag is set to “FALSE”, and the process ends (step S54).

  In this way, the stationary determination unit 43 can detect the stationary state by combining the pitch direction and the yaw direction.

  Next, a display example of a guidance message that notifies the user that the shooting mode has been automatically changed will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. The guidance message is displayed on the display unit 15 together with the image icon. Detailed description of the night view mode (see FIG. 8) and the slow sync mode (see FIG. 11) already described will be omitted.

FIG. 12 shows an example of guidance display when the flash light emission mode and the high sensitivity mode are changed.
On the right side of the display unit 15, an icon 15j representing a strobe light emission mode and an icon 15k representing a high sensitivity mode are displayed. A guidance message 151 is displayed at the center of the display unit 15. A person frame 15 i is displayed below the center of the display unit 15.

FIG. 13 is an example of guidance display when the strobe emission prohibition mode and the high sensitivity mode are changed.
On the right side of the display unit 15, an icon 15b representing a strobe light emission prohibiting mode and an icon 15k representing a high sensitivity mode are displayed. A guidance message 15 m is displayed at the center of the display unit 15.

  In this way, appropriate exposure control is performed according to the subject and the scene around the subject, so that it is possible to support photographing appropriate for the user.

  According to the digital still camera 100 according to the present embodiment described above, information obtained from the scene determination unit 41, the face detection unit 42, and the stillness determination unit 43 after determining the subject using the pre-flash dimming method. And the exposure condition assumed by the exposure condition assumption unit 45 based on the LV value detected by the LV value detection unit 46 and determining whether or not the exposure condition is optimal. The exposure conditions can be determined using a program diagram corresponding to every pattern in the scene. For this reason, for example, even when there is a subject in a dark scene and the face detection unit 42 cannot detect the face, based on the reflected light of the subject obtained by pre-flash, the strobe light is emitted with appropriate intensity. An image can be taken. At this time, since switching from the pre-flash to the main flash is automatically performed, there is an effect that a user can obtain a good image by the automatically changed shooting mode without performing a complicated operation.

  In addition, the main control unit 10, as a shooting mode, has a slow sync mode with a strobe flash mode, a high sensitivity mode with a strobe flash mode, a night view mode with a strobe flash prohibit mode, and a high sensitivity with a strobe flash prohibit mode. Any one of the modes can be selected and switched. For this reason, appropriate exposure control is performed on the subject, and when the shooting mode is switched, a guidance function that supports each of the strobe light emission prohibition mode and the strobe light emission mode is provided, so that appropriate shooting for the user can be supported. It became so.

  In addition, by determining whether the digital still camera 100 is still in a dark scene such as a night view or a room, a user can easily obtain a good image without using various settings and shooting techniques. For example, when it is fixed to a tripod instead of being held by hand, there is an effect that a beautiful image can be obtained without noise. On the other hand, if it is handheld, there is an effect that an image without camera shake can be obtained.

  In addition, by using the scene determination unit 41, the face determination unit 42, and the stillness determination unit 43, a natural image can be obtained because the strobe light emission of the light emitting unit 12 only needs to be used. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the digital still camera 100, and there is an effect that the user can extend the usage time of the digital still camera 100.

  In addition, when shooting a still image in an environment with a dark background such as a dark background, if the flash firing mode is used together with the pre-flash dimming method, it is automatically determined whether the main subject is at the position where the flash light reaches. Judgment can be made. For this reason, even when the strobe light does not reach the subject, the image light of the main subject captured by appropriate processing of the shutter speed and AGC does not become dark. As a result, there is an effect of reducing the possibility that the user will fail in photographing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the exposure control technique applied when shooting a night scene and a person at the same time has been described. However, the exposure control technique is not limited to a shooting scene such as a night scene with a dark background, but is used in this example in any scene. An exposure control technique can be applied. For example, even when shooting in backlit conditions, the strobe emission, shutter speed, and gain can be set appropriately, so that an image intended by the user can be easily obtained.

  It should be noted that the exposure control when using the flash emission mode may be manually switched on / off by the operation input unit 14. Further, the auto mode on / off may be configured to include a control for manually turning on / off by the operation input unit 14. Further, the guidance mode may be always turned on without determining the guidance mode, or the guidance mode may be manually turned off by the operation input unit 14.

  In addition, the stillness determination unit 43 can determine whether or not the digital still camera 100 is still in order to determine the still state in the pitch direction and the yaw direction. For this reason, there is an effect that shooting can be performed by switching to an appropriate shooting mode. Even in a stable place fixed by a tripod, the stationary determination flag may become “FALSE” when the user touches the shutter in the pitch direction. For this reason, the final stillness determination may be performed only in the yaw direction. Alternatively, the final stillness determination may be performed only in the pitch direction.

  Further, the stationary determination criterion (steps S34 and S38 in FIG. 5) may have a determination criterion different from the determination criterion for turning off camera shake in the shake detection unit 13. This is because the judgment criterion for judging the dark scene and changing the exposure condition is different from the stationary judgment criterion for turning off the camera shake, thereby enabling optimization. As a guide for preventing camera shake, it is said that a shooting error caused by camera shake is less likely to occur when the shutter speed is faster than 1 second corresponding to the focal length of the taking lens. For this reason, the shutter speed may be faster than 1 second corresponding to the focal length of the photographing lens.

  Further, the imaging device according to the above-described embodiment is not limited to the digital still camera 100. For example, it is obvious that the present invention can be applied to a camera having another structure such as an interchangeable lens camera or a film camera. Further, the imaging device may be configured not to include the shutter mechanism 3. Even in this case, the main control unit 10 controls the capture speed of the image signal output from the CCD image sensor, and therefore can capture images at an appropriate shutter speed.

  Further, each of the scene determination unit 41, the face detection unit 42, and the stillness determination unit 43 may include a control unit that is manually turned off by the operation input unit 14. As for the guidance function control, the same functions and effects can be obtained even if various notification functions such as a vibration function and an alarm function are used together to prompt the user to switch the strobe light emission control.

Further, if the image pickup apparatus has a self-timer, when the self-timer is on, the digital still camera 100 is likely to be placed at a place where a tripod is fixed or fixed. For this reason, if the self-timer is on, the scene determination unit 41, the face detection unit 42, and the stillness determination unit 43 may be controlled to operate. Further, a configuration in which strobe light emission is not prohibited regardless of face detection on / off may be employed. In this case, the mode can be automatically changed by providing the main control unit 10 with a self-timer that instructs the shutter 3 to capture the imaging signal output from the CCD 4 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the main control unit 10 was turned on. It is.
Here, a processing example in the case where the main control unit 10 includes a self-timer will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

First, the scene determination unit 41 determines whether it is a dark part scene (step S61). If it is determined that the scene is not a dark part scene, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the scene is a dark scene, it is determined whether or not the self-timer is on (step S62).
When the self-timer is off, it is unknown whether it is hand-held or placed in a stable place, so this process is terminated and the process proceeds to the shooting mode change process shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the self-timer is on, the face detection unit 42 performs face detection with the face detection unit 42 in the dark part scene (step S63). If the face detection unit 42 determines that “there is a face” within the angle of view, the face detection unit 42 changes to the slow sync mode (step S64) and ends the process. On the other hand, when it is determined that “there is no face” within the angle of view, the face detection unit 42 changes to the night view mode (step S65).

  In this way, when the self-timer is on, control that operates the scene determination unit 41 and the face detection unit 42 can reduce power consumption and extend the usage time used by the user. effective. Even when the strobe flash mode is used for still image shooting in dark scenes such as night scenes, the proper shutter speed minimizes camera shake and balances the main subject with the background for proper exposure. There is an effect that an image can be obtained.

It is the block diagram which showed the internal structural example of the digital still camera in one embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the example of an internal structure of the main control part in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of a process of flash photography in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of a process of flash photography (guidance function) in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of the imaging | photography mode switching process in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of the stillness determination process in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of the last still determination process in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (night view mode) in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (strobe light emission selection) in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (strobe light emission prohibition) in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (slow sync mode) in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (strobe light emission mode and high sensitivity mode) in one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of a display of the guidance function (strobe light emission prohibition mode and high sensitivity mode) in one embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the example of the imaging | photography mode switching process in other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lens part, 2 ... Iris mechanism, 3 ... Shutter mechanism, 4 ... CCD image sensor, 5 ... Analog signal processing circuit, 6 ... Analog / digital conversion circuit, 7 ... Digital signal processing circuit, 8 ... Lens control part, 9 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Timing signal generation circuit, 10 ... Main control part, 11 ... Charge and light emission control part, 12 ... Light emission part, 13 ... Shake detection part, 14 ... Operation input part, 15 ... Display part, 15a-15m ... Guidance menu, icon 16 ... recording medium, 17 ... external interface, 18 ... EEPROM, 19 ... RAM, 20 ... shutter operation unit, 41 ... scene determination unit, 42 ... face detection unit, 43 ... stationary determination unit, 44 ... exposure determination unit, 45 ... exposure condition assumption unit, 46 ... LV value detection unit, 47 ... program diagram, 48 ... exposure condition determination unit, 100 ... digital still camera

Claims (9)

An imaging unit that outputs image light imaged through an optical system as an imaging signal;
A light emitting unit that illuminates the subject side obtained as the image light;
An imaging instruction unit for instructing capturing timing of an imaging signal output by the imaging unit;
An exposure light amount control unit that controls the exposure light amount of the image light in the imaging unit based on the capturing timing of the imaging signal instructed by the imaging instruction unit;
A light amount detection unit for detecting a received light amount from the subject direction;
A blur detection unit that detects blur generated in the housing of the apparatus and outputs it as blur information;
The light quantity in the non-light emission state of the light emission part is detected by the light quantity detection part as a first luminance evaluation value, pre-emission of the first light quantity is performed from the light emission part, and the reflected light quantity reflected from the subject is second. Detected by the light quantity detection unit as a luminance evaluation value of
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are substantially equal, the light emission of the light emitting unit is prohibited,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is at a distance that the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the main light emission amount is a second light amount at which the subject is properly exposed,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is not at a distance where the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the pre-adjustment with the third light amount adjusted to the maximum light amount as the main light emission amount. Make a subject judgment by light,
A control unit that performs imaging with the respective light emission amounts based on an instruction of the imaging instruction unit,
The controller is
A scene determination unit that determines the periphery of the subject as a dark scene when the amount of light around the subject is insufficient;
A face detection unit for detecting the face of the subject;
Based on the shake information received from the shake detection unit, a stationary determination unit that determines that the housing is stationary as a stationary state;
A subject brightness detector for detecting a value indicating the brightness of the subject;
An exposure condition assumption unit that assumes an exposure condition by comparing a value indicating the brightness of the subject detected by the subject brightness detection unit with a predetermined threshold;
The exposure condition assumed by the exposure condition assumption unit is based on the dark scene determined by the scene determination unit, the face of the subject detected by the face detection unit, and the still state determined by the still determination unit. An exposure determination unit for determining whether it is appropriate;
Based on a value indicating the brightness of the subject detected by the subject brightness detection unit, the exposure condition is determined by changing to a program diagram corresponding to the exposure condition determined by the exposure determination unit And an imaging device. The imaging device according to claim 1,
The controller is
When the scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark part scene, the face detection unit detects the face of the subject, and the still determination unit determines that it is in a stationary state, the light emission unit emits light and the exposure light quantity The first mode to increase
When the scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark part scene, the face detection unit detects the face of the subject, and the still determination unit determines that it is not in a stationary state, the light emitting unit emits light, and the imaging unit The second mode to increase the gain of the imaging signal output by
The scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark part scene, the face detection unit does not detect the face of the subject, determines that the subject exists by subject determination by the pre-dimming, and the stillness determination unit is in a stationary state If it is determined that the first mode,
The scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark scene, the face detection unit does not detect the face of the subject, determines that the subject exists by the subject determination based on the pre-dimming, and the stillness determination unit is not in a stationary state If it is determined that the second mode,
The scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark scene, the face detection unit does not detect the face of the subject, determines that the subject does not exist by subject determination based on the pre-dimming, and the stillness determination unit If it is determined that it is in a state, a third mode for increasing the exposure light amount is set.
The scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark scene, the face detection unit does not detect the face of the subject, determines that the subject does not exist by subject determination based on the pre-dimming, and the stillness determination unit When it is determined that the state is not in a state, the imaging apparatus is set to a fourth mode in which a gain of an imaging signal output from the imaging unit is increased. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The blur information includes blur information in at least one of a pitch direction and a yaw direction with respect to a housing of the device. The imaging device according to claim 3.
An imaging apparatus comprising: a display unit that displays a predetermined guidance message for the first to fourth modes. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4.
The image pickup apparatus, wherein the control unit includes a self-timer that instructs the exposure light amount control unit to take in an image pickup signal output from the image pickup unit after a predetermined time has elapsed after being turned on. The imaging device according to claim 5.
When the self-timer is turned on, the scene determination unit determines that the scene is a dark scene, and when the face detection unit detects the face of the subject, the light emission unit emits light and the amount of exposure light is increased. An imaging device characterized by being increased. The imaging device according to claim 5.
When the self-timer is turned on, the scene determination unit determines the dark scene, and when the face detection unit does not detect the face of the subject, the light emission unit prohibits light emission, An image pickup apparatus that increases the gain of an image pickup signal output from the image pickup unit. The image light imaged through the optical system is imaged and output as an imaging signal, and the subject side obtained as the image light is illuminated by a light emitting unit, and the image light is captured based on the capturing timing of the imaging signal. Control the amount of exposure light, detect the amount of light received from the subject direction,
The amount of light in the non-light emitting state of the light emitting unit is detected as a first luminance evaluation value, pre-emission of the first light amount is performed from the light emitting unit, and the amount of reflected light reflected from the subject is used as a second luminance evaluation value. Detect
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are substantially equal, the light emission of the light emitting unit is prohibited,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is at a distance that the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the main light emission amount is a second light amount at which the subject is properly exposed,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is not at a distance that the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the pre-adjustment with the third light amount adjusted to the maximum light amount as the main light emission amount. An imaging method that performs subject determination by light and performs imaging with the respective light emission amounts,
When the amount of light around the subject is insufficient, determine the periphery of the subject as a dark scene,
Detecting the face of the subject,
Based on the shake information that detects the shake that occurs in the housing of the device, the state where the housing is stationary is determined as a stationary state,
Detecting a value indicating the brightness of the subject;
Comparing a value indicating the brightness of the subject with a predetermined threshold, assuming an exposure condition,
Based on the determined dark area scene, the detected face of the subject, and the determined still state, it is determined whether or not the assumed exposure condition is appropriate,
The imaging method, wherein the exposure condition is determined by changing to a program diagram corresponding to the determined exposure condition based on a value indicating the brightness of the subject. The image light imaged through the optical system is imaged and output as an imaging signal, and the subject side obtained as the image light is illuminated by a light emitting unit, and the image light is captured based on the capturing timing of the imaging signal. Control the amount of exposure light, detect the amount of light received from the subject direction,
The amount of light in the non-light emitting state of the light emitting unit is detected as a first luminance evaluation value, pre-emission of the first light amount is performed from the light emitting unit, and the amount of reflected light reflected from the subject is used as a second luminance evaluation value. Detect
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are substantially equal, the light emission of the light emitting unit is prohibited,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is at a distance that the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the main light emission amount is a second light amount at which the subject is properly exposed,
When the first and second luminance evaluation values are different and the subject is not at a distance that the first light amount of the pre-light emission reaches, the pre-adjustment with the third light amount adjusted to the maximum light amount as the main light emission amount. It is a program for controlling imaging, which performs subject determination by light and performs imaging with the respective light emission amounts,
A process of determining the periphery of the subject as a dark scene when the amount of light around the subject is insufficient;
Detecting the face of the subject;
A process of determining the stationary state of the casing as a stationary state based on the blur information detected in the casing of the device;
Processing for detecting a value indicating the brightness of the subject;
A process of comparing the value indicating the brightness of the subject with a predetermined threshold and assuming an exposure condition;
A process of determining whether or not the assumed exposure condition is appropriate based on the determined dark part scene, the detected face of the subject, and the determined stationary state;
A program which changes to a program diagram corresponding to the determined exposure condition based on a value indicating the brightness of the subject and performs the process of determining the exposure condition.

Images